The Redemption Series

by Melynda Price

  Mitch held up his hands. “Jeez, leave off, will ya? It wasn’t that bad.”

  She popped the trunk and tossed her bags inside. “What are you doin’ talkin’ to her, anyway?”

  “Hey, she came up to me. I was just being nice.”

  “Well, maybe you shouldn’t!”

  “Maybe you should worry about your own mistakes and quit taking that pissy attitude out on everyone else. I’m not a child, Ash. I don’t need my mother telling me who I can and can’t talk to.”

  She slammed her trunk, gimped over to him, and poked him in the chest. “Maybe your ‘mother’ wouldn’t need to tell you who to talk to if you didn’t eye-fuck everything in a skirt!”

  “That’s it. I am not spending the next God knows how many hours in the car with you!” Mitch snatched his bag off the ground and hiked the strap over his shoulder. “I think this is where our little road trip ends!” He marched over to the red convertible and tossed it into the back seat.

  “You know what, Mitch? Balen was right, you’re an ungrateful tool!”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  It was shortly after ten when Liam pulled up to the hotel located along the shore of Lake Superior. Duluth was a moderately-sized city and as good a place as any to deal with Cale and Rhen. He’d considered taking Olivia farther up north, but on the off chance that this ended poorly, he didn’t want her stranded in the Northern Tundra alone.

  A few times on the drive here, he’d tried to bring up the subject of taking her memories. He’d explained she’d be safer from Haden, and although it didn’t seem like it now, she’d be happier in the long run. Each and every time he spoke, she’d either turn away, ignoring him all together, or she’d start talking about something else, pretending that she hadn’t heard him. Her stubborn defiance frustrated him to the point where he finally stopped trying to reason with her. It was becoming painfully obvious she wasn’t going to cooperate and intended to force his hand on this issue. He wouldn’t bring it up again.

  Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand—killing Cale and Rhen. The challenge was how to neutralize Haden while keeping Olivia safe. For the last hundred miles, the problem plagued him. Liam couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of foreboding that crept over him, leeching into his bones.

  They were getting close. He could feel it. His preternatural senses were coming online, swift and hard. Everything heightened—sight, smell, touch, hearing… all making him painfully more aware of the female sitting beside him. It was killing him to be so close and not take her in his arms.

  He could hear the draw of her breaths, the steady beat of her heart… Heat radiated from her body, her vanilla-jasmine scent pervading his senses. The male in him stirred with arousal, his vision sharpened, taking in everything around them.

  She opened the door to climb out, and his hand shot to her wrist. Stretching his senses, he searched for imminent danger. Detecting no immediate threat, he let go of her arm. Perhaps it was the calm before the storm that had him on edge, or perhaps it was the overwhelming desire to have one more taste of those luscious lips before he betrayed her. She’d never forgive him if she knew what he planned to do.

  “What?” Olivia asked, looking over her shoulder. Her surprise rippled over his sensitive flesh like a caress. “Is something wrong?”

  He shook his head. “No. They’re close, but they’re not here yet. Look, Olivia, I just wanted to say that I know you may not be very thrilled with me right now, but—”

  She effectively cut him off by crushing her lips against his. She kissed him hard, claiming his mouth with a fevered desperation that stoked the fire already burning inside him. His arms had a will of their own and wound around her small waist as he dragged her closer to him. It wouldn’t be long before his energy burned hot enough that he’d be forced to let her go, but he greedily took these few stolen moments, desperately wishing things could be different.

  Olivia threaded her fingers through his hair, teasing his nape. When she broke contact with his mouth, he couldn’t hold back the growl of protest that rumbled in his throat. She smiled triumphantly, giving him a wicked grin, and smugly said, “I just wanted to give you a little reminder of what you’ll be losing if you had a mind to take my memories against my will. Perhaps now you’ll let this lie between us. I will never forget you, Liam, not any more than I could forget how to breathe.”

  Abruptly, she pulled away from him and scooted out the door. So that was how she was going to play this… Thank God, she was too far away to hear the foul curse that flew from his lips. He grabbed her bags and purposefully followed several paces behind, needing the distance to keep his head clear, knowing all too well that this female would ultimately prove to be his downfall.

  Liam entered the lobby to find Olivia looking around in amazement. Of course, growing up in Florida, there wouldn’t be many places this rustic. The interior of the hotel was comprised of log and stone. Animal heads hung from several walls—a moose, white tail deer, and an elk. A timber wolf prowled a pose near the fireplace, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting snowshoe rabbit. Huh…cozy…

  The courtesy desk was located in the middle of the foyer, and off to the right was a large living room. The far wall had a cathedral pitch, with floor to ceiling glass overlooking Lake Superior. To the right was a stone fireplace surrounded by furniture, complete with a bearskin rug, and to the left was a bar. On the second floor, a balcony overlooked the foyer below.

  Olivia wandered into the living room and headed for the wall of glass. Perhaps the full moon was providing enough reflection for her to see the lake. Liam checked them into a suite and waited for her to make her way back to the lobby. As he escorted her to their room, she commented on how rustic and beautifully romantic the place was. Although that had not been his intention in bringing her here, he couldn’t deny the ambiance did seem rather quixotic—a distraction he certainly didn’t need, especially since it seemed Olivia’s new strategy was to seduce him into changing his mind.

  Once inside their suite, Olivia headed straight for the bedroom. “I’m going to take a bath,” she called. From the reflection in the mirror, he could see her digging out an emerald green spaghetti strap nightie from her bag. “It’s surprising how stiff and sore one can get from sitting hour after hour.” She walked into the living room, rubbing her shoulder. Stopping in front of him, she slid her arms around his neck and arched a brow. “You seem pretty stiff yourself. I don’t suppose you’d care to join me? The Jacuzzi fits two.”

  “You know I can’t—”

  “Can’t and won’t seem to be synonymous words with you,” she quipped tartly.

  “So does focus and survival.” He untwined her arms from his neck. “I can’t afford this distraction right now, Olivia.”

  She grew solemn and took his hand in both of hers, those finely sculpted brows drawing tight with concern. “I didn’t mean to sound flippant. I get that this is serious. It’s just… I have so much faith in you and your ability to keep me safe, that perhaps I should be more concerned than I am.” She squeezed his hand. “Should I be more concerned? Do you think there’s a chance you cannot kill Rowen’s legion?”

  “Killing them isn’t the problem, it’s keeping you safe long enough to do it. I can’t hide you from Haden, and if he’s helping them, then that makes this a lot tougher. He’s after you for the stone, but since you don’t have it anymore, best case scenario is he’ll lose interest and bail.”

  Her top lip pulled up in a sad smile. “But you don’t really believe he’s going to do that, do you?”

  “The time I start predicting what’s going to happen is the time I’ll get taken by surprise.” He bent down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “And I hate surprises, Olivia.” Before he could pull back, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. Pressing her cheek against his chest, she stood there clinging to him for the longest time. Neither of them spoke. Sometimes there were just no words…

  Except—“I love yo
u, Olivia. You know that, right? Promise me, whatever happens, you’ll never doubt that.”

  “I promise,” she whispered, “and I love you, too, Liam. I hope someday you’ll understand why I can’t let you have my memories.”

  And I wish you would understand why I have to take them…

  ***

  Liam restlessly paced the small quarters from couch to window, window to couch. Something was wrong—he could feel it, and it set his nerves on edge. The closer the legion got, the stronger his sense of impending doom became. Could he possibly lose her? Was his sixth sense warning him to run with her?

  But Liam refused to run—not anymore. The warrior in him demanded vengeance, thirsted for the blood of his enemies, and above all, insisted he protect his female. Whether she was rightfully his or not, his heart proclaimed it so.

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, his hands dove into his hair for what must have been the fifth or sixth time as he paced back and forth. Stopping in front of the window, he stared into the midnight sky, watching as lights from the passing ore ships broke through the darkness. Suddenly, the energy in the air shifted and a reflection appeared in the glass. He turned and faced his friend. “Hello, Balen.”

  “Liam. Where’s Olivia?”

  He cocked his head toward the muffled hum of the Jacuzzi. “Taking a bath. She’s exhausted.”

  Balen’s gaze swept over him and a disapproving frown settled on his face. “I’d venture to say she isn’t the only one. I hate to say it, buddy, but you look like how I feel.”

  “That shitty, huh? Not that it isn’t great to see you and all, but why are you here?”

  “Thought I’d stop by and keep you in the know.”

  Dread unfurled in Liam’s gut as he asked, “About…?”

  “Mitch is on his way here—with Rowen’s legion.”

  “Bloody hell… Tell me you’re joking.”

  “Sorry, I’m not that funny.”

  “What would possibly make that arrogant prick want to get himself killed?”

  “Olivia. He wants her back.”

  Liam let out a humorless laugh that bordered on vicious, spun away from his friend, and resumed his pacing. This changed everything… “The last thing I need is that pompous ass showing up here. This is going to be hard enough as it is.” Liam was thoughtful for a moment. “Wait, where’s Ashley?”

  “As of eight hours ago, about ten hours from here—with Mitch. She was worried about his safety, so she decided to come along, expecting I’d keep the little shit from getting himself killed. Of course, I couldn’t stop her from going. I tell you, as soon as he gets here, that tool is your problem. He’s trouble, and speaking of trouble, you care to explain to me exactly why Haden’s still alive?”

  Liam reached up, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “It’s not that simple, Balen, or believe me, he’d be dead. Haden’s a Nephilim—”

  “What? No way!”

  “Way,” he replied sarcastically.

  “The Nephs are dead.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too, until I met one. Turns out the Dark Court has been hiding a dirty little secret.”

  “Well, that’s easy enough to fix.”

  “Not so easy, my friend. Apparently, he possesses enough humanity to fall under the blood covering of Christ. I can’t kill him unless he poses a direct threat to Olivia’s life. Get this, according to Theo, he’s redeemable.” Liam air quoted Haden’s taunting words. “Believe me, that bastard took great delight in informing me of said status.”

  “Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy, because from what I’ve seen, there’s nothing redeemable about that green-eyed POS.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, but if it wasn’t true, I’m sure Theo would have killed the asshole himself. He ain’t exactly the ‘forgive and forget’ type.”

  “Well then, I guess that explains the entourage. He needs Mitch to get to Olivia, and Rhen and Cale to get to you. That way he avoids becoming a direct threat, clever bastard.”

  “What are you going to do about Ashley? It isn’t safe for her to be here.”

  A rare look of raw anger crossed his friend’s face. “Ashley does what Ashley wants.”

  Liam eyed his friend warily. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “She’s impulsive and reckless. I swear I’ve spent more time saving her from herself than I have from anyone else! That female is going to be the death of me.”

  Liam chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like Ashley. You want to tell me what happened?”

  “Not really. It’s a long story, and you’ve got enough of your own problems.”

  “Still, it’s nice to talk about someone else’s for a change. You thinkin’ about giving her up?”

  Balen threaded his hand through his hair and started pacing the same path of carpet Liam had been wearing down. He silently watched his friend, waiting for him to answer. After a few wordless passes, Balen looked at him and said sadly, “I’m not sure I’m going to have a choice.”

  Shit… “Why do you say that? What happened?”

  “I…kissed her, Liam.”

  “Aaaand…”

  Balen wasn’t the type to overreact and he never behaved impulsively. If he was considering relinquishing his guardianship, then Liam knew it was all but a done deal. Something pretty bad must have happened between them to drive him to this point.

  “And I wanted more. I wanted so much more with her. When I…stopped myself, she…didn’t handle it well. She accused me of not loving her, not wanting her. Her recklessness nearly got her killed last night. I can’t risk being the trigger for her harmful behavior anymore. If I stay with her, I’ll fall. Honestly, Liam, I don’t know how you do it.”

  I don’t. That’s the problem.

  “How do you keep from crossing that line with Olivia?”

  What line? The line was such a blur right now he couldn’t even see it anymore. “I’m not sure I’m the guy to be giving you advice, Balen. I’ve made my share of mistakes with Olivia that will, no doubt, catch up with me sooner than later. I’m barely hanging on here myself.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall. “And in pretty short order, it sounds like I’m going to have my hands full with her fiancé.”

  Balen grimaced. “Sorry to dump my problems on you—”

  “You’re not. I just…” Liam shook his head. “I just don’t know what to say. I don’t blame you for giving her up if that’s what you decide to do. Hell, I envy you for having the strength to do it. We just weren’t cut out for this shit. Mortals… They’re—”

  “Addicting?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Intoxicating?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Alluring, beguiling, mesmer—”

  “All right, enough. You’re killing me here.”

  Balen chuckled, but his attempt at bravado didn’t fool Liam. His friend was hurting in a bad way, and he couldn’t help but feel a sharp twinge of guilt over it. If it weren’t for him, Balen never would have gotten caught up in all of this.

  Liam placed his hand on Balen’s shoulder and asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”

  Balen sighed. “After I make sure Ashley is safe, I’m returning to court. I’ll petition for a real guardian to be assigned her care, someone who will be immune to her life force.”

  “Perhaps it’s for the best.”

  “When are you going to tell Olivia about Mitch?”

  Scrubbing his hands over his face, he heaved a frustrated groan. “I haven’t decided yet. How close do you figure they are from here?”

  Balen shrugged. “My guess is two hours tops—maybe less. I bet the others will lie low and let Mitch have at you first. That guy’s got an ax to grind with you, my friend.”

  Great. He didn’t have time for this shit. He needed to be focusing on Cale and Rhen right now, not worrying about a jealous fiancé. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Two hours tops” t
urned out to be fifteen minutes. Olivia was still in the tub, the low rumbling hum of the jets confirmed she wasn’t coming out anytime soon. He thought about checking on her. It would be some pretty sick irony to have worked so hard to keep her alive, only to have her fall asleep in the tub from exhaustion and drown.

  The passing thought sent a jolt of alarm racing through him that propelled his feet toward the bathroom. He was nearly there when a sudden burst of banging on the front door stopped him in his tracks. Liam changed direction and charged for the door, trying to reach it before the next round of rapid-fire started. He didn’t want Olivia finding out about Mitch—not like this. Besides, it was late. The least Mitch could do was let her rest tonight—inconsiderate ass. What in the hell did he hope to accomplish by beating her door down at this hour?

  More banging…

  “Olivia! Open up! I know you’re in there!”

  Each pound cut at the thin thread of Liam’s temper, and he wrenched the door open, yanking it away from the pounding fist. He stepped into the doorway, bodily filling the small space and effectively blocking Mitch’s entrance, just in case he had a mind to enter.

  A brief moment of surprise flittered across Mitch’s face before hardening into a mask of hatred. “You must be Liam,” he accused.

  “And you must be Mitch. Wish I could say it was a pleasure, but I can’t lie.”

  “That’s interesting. One would think you couldn’t steal, either, but here you are, with my fiancée!”

  Liam cocked his brow and replied with an air of arrogance that matched Mitch’s, “I hate to break it to you, heartthrob, but Olivia was mine long before she was yours—and she still is.”

  With surprising swiftness, Mitch nailed Liam with a blow to the jaw. He knew it was coming, could have stopped the human, but the alpha in him wanted to see what the mortal was packing. Had he been one himself, he’d have had to admit Mitch could throw an impressive right hook.

  By the look on Mitch’s face, he was surprised Liam was still standing, unmoved from the barricaded doorway. Liam popped his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll give you that one. Hell, I might have even deserved it, but I’m warning you right now, you touch me again, and I will touch you back.”